New Opel Astra GTC Sport Hatch Appears on Facebook Completely Undisguised

The production version of Opel’s stunning Astra GTC Concept from last year’s Paris Motor Show is scheduled to appear this summer with its public debut to take place at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show in September. However, thanks to CoolPictures reader Javier who has a knack for finding future Opel models, we can give you a sneak peak of the production GTC. Javier discovered the picture of the completely undisguised Astra GTC on Opel’s official Facebook page earlier today.

As far as we can tell, the only visible changes over the Paris Concept are the lack of aero parts and the slightly different tail lamp design. However, the aggressive body kit and the larger alloy wheels of the concept study should make their way on the OPC version of the Astra GTC that will follow after the presentation of the standard models.

The sporty looking three-door version will be available with a similar engine lineup to the rest of the Astra models, offering buyers a variety of turbocharged gasoline and diesel units.

Hat tip to Javier for the find!

Source: Facebook / Opel

OPEL ASTRA GTC

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OPEL ASTRA GTC PARIS MOTOR SHOW CONCEPT

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Report: Fiat to Begin Assembly of New 2012 Panda Mini in November

The first examples of the successor to Fiat’s current generation Panda city car will roll off the production line in Italy this November, according to a top Fiat executive. The third generation of the Panda is scheduled to make its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in mid-September.

"We are on track in refurbishing Pomigliano, which will become a truly state-of-the-art plant when it begins production in November," Fiat Group chief manufacturing officer Stefan Ketter told Autonews Europe.

Last year, Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne announced that the updated Pomigliano d'Arco plant in central Italy would manufacturer the new Panda as part of the firm’s “Fabbrica Italia” (Italian factory) plan to increase vehicle productivity in Italy from around 650,000 units in 2010 to approximately 1.4 million cars in 2014.

The decision to move production of the Panda from the Tychy factory in Poland to Pomigliano came after Fiat SpA workers supported a reorganization plan to increase their productivity by around 70 percent, switching to a three-shift, 280-workday year from the current two shifts and 235 workdays. Sergio Marchionne had threatened the unions that he would either keep production of the new Panda in Poland or move it to Serbia if they did not agree to the new labor deal.

Fiat has invested some €800 million to build the new Panda in Pomigliano. In 2010, the Italian factory produced around 30,000 units of the Alfa Romeo 159 sedan and sports wagon, plus the final examples of the 147 hatchback and GT sports coupe.

The Tychy factory in Poland builds the current Fiat Panda and 500, as well as the Ford Ka city cars, and is currently Fiat’s largest and most efficient plant in Europe producing more than 533,000 cars in 2010. It ranks second within Fiat Group's global plants after the firm’s Belo Horizonte, Brazil, facility that produced close to 700,000 vehicles last year.

Source: Autonews Europe [Sub. Req.]

CURRENT GENERATION FIAT PANDA